12 A Combo Mission?

A few weeks had gone by now. Every day was the same. D rank this, D rank that. It seemed like the amount of missions they did was endless. After another week, team Jiraiya met without their sensei to scheme. They came up with an ingenious idea. Nawaki created wood clones that would replace them and do missions for them. Meanwhile, they could train and study instead. Jiraiya pretended not to notice that his students were replaced by clones. He did not think that any harm would come of it so he let it be.

One morning, the four of them met up at the end of the day to turn in their mission reports. After they turned in their reports, Jiraiya turned to the three clones and said, "Please go tell your real bodies that we will meet here tomorrow morning. Hiruzen sensei has summoned us and has a mission."

Sitting in the Senju grounds, Nawaki was meditating and then he froze. He tried to figure out how long ago his sensei realized that his students were not actually the ones doing the missions. He laughed and sent his clones to inform Minato and Fugaku of the news. It seemed that they would be getting a change of pace for their missions.

The next morning, Team Jiraiya met up inside the lobby of the Hokage mansion. They navigated through the building and entered the Hokage's office. Once they entered, they were surprised as they were not the only ones there. In fact, there was one other team present. Tsunade, Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza were waiting for them. Once Hiruzen saw Team Jiraiya enter the office, he began his explanation.

He turned to the group and said, "Your two teams have shown great potential. Between the overwhelming strength and impressive teamwork you all have displayed, I think it is time to up the stakes. I will be imparting a C rank mission that you will all complete together. For the most part, I want your jonin sensei to observe but they will step in if necessary." All six genin were excited. They finally get to leave the village and prove themselves. For most of them, it was their first time exiting the gates.

Hiruzen then continued, "This mission is of utmost importance. There has been a large group of bandits interfering with travel and trade. I need you guys to deal with this problem. They can either be exterminated or detained. You guys can decide yourselves how they will be dealt with. This type of behavior is intolerable and must be stopped. I am trusting you guys with this."

Tsunade then said, "Don't worry Hiruzen sensei, I believe that these 6 will be able to finish this mission with no issues." They all bowed and left the office. Once outside, Jiraiya and Tsunade turned to each other and nodded. Jiraiya turned to the group and said, "Alright everyone. This mission will require us to leave the village for around two weeks. We will meet at the gates in about two hours. You are dismissed until then to gather supplies." The eight of them flickered away to gather their supplies.

Nawaki and Tsunade informed their mother that they would be gone for a few weeks. She was relieved to hear that they would be together. This made her much less nervous that something bad would happen. When they were gathering their supplies, Nawaki gave a few sealing scrolls to Tsunade. They were inscribed with advanced spatial seals that allowed for a lot of storage space. Tsunade packed plenty of supplies and medical equipment. Nawaki also used money that he collected from the 8 of them to buy food that would last them a few weeks. He stored it all in his inventory.

Nawaki teleported back home after purchasing the food to meet up with Tsunade and walk to the gate together. As they walked out of the house, Toka called out, "Nawaki! I have something to give you before you leave." She walked outside and approached them holding a long object wrapped in cloth.

Nawaki raised his brow and heard Kensho say, "Oh… my… god. Is that what I think it is?" Now Nawaki was even more intrigued as his mother approached him with a smile on her face. He looked at her and asked, "Okaa san, what is that?" Toka stopped in front of him and smiled as she unwrapped the object. When she removed the cloth, Tsunade and Nawaki widened their eyes in shock. In Toka's hands was a huge sword that was sheathed in an ornate wooden scabbard. It had a set of straps on it that could be adjusted to accommodate the user. It could be worn on the hip or on the back.

Toka looked at her children and said, "This is a special item to our family. Otou sama used this sword many years ago.. This sword is very special and has cut down many enemies in defense of our clan and this village." Toka smiled and then continued, "Hashirama entrusted this sword to me wishing for it to be given to someone that would be capable of using it. I believe it would suit you well Nawaki."

Nawaki could not believe it. Kensho then said, "Holy shit. That sword is amazing. It is quite large but it is perfect for someone using sage mode. It is also made of chakra metal so it is quite a formidable weapon. You are very lucky Nawaki." Nawaki didn't know what to do. He could not decide whether he was worthy of using such a weapon. Kensho then continued, "Are you just going to stand there? Or are you going to accept your mother's gift?"

Snapping out of his trance, Nawaki stepped forward and took the sword before saying, "Okaa san, I don't know what to say. Thank you." Toka smiled and said, "Nawaki, I trust that you will make good use of it. It may prove quite useful in the future. Now go on. You two are going to be late if you don't head out soon." Nawaki and Tsunade ran over to their mother and the three of them hugged. This precious moment would be ingrained in their memories for the rest of their lives. It was a truly special moment.

Releasing their mother, Tsunade and Nawaki took off towards Konoha's gates. When they got there, their teammates were waiting for them. When they arrived, Jiraiya and Tsunade made eye contact and nodded. They silently agreed on something due to them being on the same page. After about 30 seconds of silence, Inoichi said, "Sooooo, what do we do now sensei?" Tsunade chuckled and she tossed a scroll to Inoichi. She then said, "Took long enough for one of you to speak up." Inoichi opened the scroll. Inside the scroll was their mission directive. All of the details including location, some victim testimonies, and some other intel were there.

Inoichi then asked, "Why are you giving this to me?" Tsunade smirked and said, "Jiraiya and I have our role in this mission. We are here primarily to observe. Thus, this mission is essentially up to you guys." Hearing this, another short period of silence occurred. Suddenly, Nawaki spoke up saying, "I vote to have Shikaku take charge." Hearing this, Choza and Inoichi nodded in agreement without hesitation. After a moment, Minato also nodded in agreement. All that remained was Fugaku.

After some thought, he spoke up saying, "Why Shukaku? I believe Nawaki is the most qualified to lead this mission." This was a good point. He took notice of Nawaki's mental prowess when he created a flawless plan for the bell test. He was quick on his feet and was able to make smart decisions on the fly. After a moment of silence, Nawaki replied, "While I may be perfectly qualified to lead this team, I believe that Shukaku is the best choice to lead this team. I may be smart but my intelligence pales before the mental prowess of a Nara."

Hearing this, Fugaku understood why they all agreed to the suggestion. He then said, "Alright. After hearing that, I agree with the decision." All eyes then turned to Shukaku who sighed before saying, "What a drag. Alright, let's get this over with then. Sensei, should I include the two of you in our formation or should I let you two observe from the side?" Tsunade replied saying, "We will travel with and join you guys for meals. You guys are on your own for the rest unless we need to intervene."

Shukaku nodded and turned back to his team, "Understood. Here is our formation. We will travel in a 1-1-3-1 formation. Fugaku will lead in the front and set our pace. His ability to maintain the sharingan at all times makes him perfect for watching the front. Behind him will be Minato. He has long range sensor capabilities. He is the fastest member of our team and will be able to quickly provide support to our vanguard. The next line will be our core with Inoichi on the left, me in the middle, and Choza on the right. First reason for this being that I am the team leader. It is important that I am centered in our formation. This allows me to quickly relay orders to everyone. Second reason for us three being together is that it will allow for quick deployment of our secret formation. Finally, our rear guard will be held by Nawaki. His wide ranging sensor capabilities allows him to keep an eye out in all directions. He will have the easiest time watching his back without having to slow down and look backwards. In addition, his wood release will allow for the quick deployment of techniques to block attacks from our rear. Any questions?"

Everyone nodded. Fugaku was shocked. It was the first time he experienced the mental prowess of a Nara first hand. The only thing he could feel was happiness that he was not Shikaku's enemy. He would probably be able to completely and utterly outplay anyone. After seeing that his team understood, he then continued. He said, "Fugaku, you will focus on watching the front. Minato will provide support via his long range sensing and also monitor Fugaku's peripherals. I will keep tabs on all of you guys. Inoichi and Choza will watch our left and right flanks. Lastly, Nawaki will focus on their peripheral vision but primarily use his sensor capabilities to monitor all around us. If anyone has any questions, please ask now."

No one said anything so Shikaku continued saying, "Before we leave, everyone is stocked up on supplies and ninja tools right?" The 5 of them nodded. Seeing this, Shukaku said, "Alright team, form up and let's move out." The 6 of them quickly got into formation and took off into the forest surrounding Konoha.

The journey would take them four days so it was important that they paced themselves and got proper rest. The group maintained a fast pace so they stopped to rest every few hours. When they would come across a river, they would take a quick break to wash their faces and cool off. Seeing that their teams seamlessly combined, Tsunade and Jiraiya could only be proud.

Once it started getting dark, they stopped to rest for the night. Before setting up camp, Shukaku turned to his team before saying, "Before we settle in, we need to set up a schedule for keeping watch." Hearing this, Nawaki smiled before saying, "I can keep watch all night. You guys can rest." Shukaku raised his brow before asking, "Why do you say that?" Nawaki chuckled and then replied, "My body allows me to recover my stamina and energy via the absorption of nature energy. Technically I never need to sleep but sometimes I choose to do so just to rest my mind. Conveniently, the absorption of natural energy also boosts my sensing range." Shukaku sighed before saying, "Alright. Guess this couldn't be easier then. Now that we have figured that out, let's set up camp."

As everyone aside from Minato and Nawaki started to set up their sleeping arrangements, the two could only turn to each other and laugh. The four genin stopped what they were doing and gave the duo a confused look. Choza then said, "What's so funny you two?" Nawaki grinned and said, "Oh, nothing. Would the four of you step back for a moment?" After a few hand signs, Nawaki slammed his hands into the ground and said, "Mokuton: Shichuka no jutsu" (Four Pillar House). Similar to their journey to Mount Myoboku, a wooden cabin rose from the ground. This one was much larger due to Nawaki's increased chakra pool and the amount of people it had to hold.

The four of them had their jaws dropped in shock. Choza broke the silence by laughing and then saying, "Well, seems like this will be an enjoyable trip!" Minato then pulled 8 futons out of a sealing scroll as well as a brick stove. Minato distributed the futons to his teammates as they went to explore the inside of their cabin. Nawaki then got to work pulling ingredients out of his inventory and cooking up a delicious dinner for the group.

While he was cooking alone, Tsunade and Jiraiya decided it was time to join their students. They jumped down in front of Nawaki and smiled. Jiraiya then said, "First, I don't think I'll ever get used to being able to have a roof over my head while traveling. Second, I can not wait to have your cooking again. I'm hungry just thinking about it." Hearing this, Nawaki smiled before saying, "So sensei, how did we do today?"

Jiraiya looked to Tsunade. After thinking for a moment he said, "I have to say that I am impressed. It took no time at all for you guys to organize and get going. You all were even able to maintain the entire team's stamina to keep a fast pace. It was as if we were not observing a team of rookie genin." Tsunade nodded in agreement.

Soon after, the other 5 genin floated out of the cabin following the smell of dinner. They drooled in anticipation of chowing down. Once Nawaki finished cooking, they enjoyed a wonderful meal. After eating, the 7 went to sleep for the night leaving Nawaki to keep watch in the company of Kensho.